Read The Writer :: The Writer

They were worse than mine. At least the front door to the complex wasn't hanging off its hinges. The wallpaper in the hallways was coming off. Rolling down the wall and creating a horrible effect. When I arrived to the front door I noticed loud noises coming from it. "Sorry, the kids are probably all riled up. We haven't had a guest in awhile." I stepped into the apartment and the kids looked at me wide eyed. "Are you a friend of my dad?" And before I could respond we were coworkers, Thomas surprised me. "Yes, he is. He's a very good friend of mine." The little girl got all giddy. I guess she was glad her dad had a friend. He introduced me to his children. The little girl's name was Jesse and his boy Fredrick.

I set the pastries down on the kitchen counter. There wasn't much space to begin with but the food for dinner laying there already made it more crowded. His wife came out from the kitchen. "Hello, this must be the wonderful Xavier my husband has been talking about. He was amazed you got the job at that fancy place." I turned to look at him and he was flustered. I'm glad he was proud of me. "This is Anna, my wife." He looked at his wife adoringly. That's what love should look like. Thomas wasn't so bad after all. I helped get the food on the dining room table. It was crowded, but nice.

In front of me was sliced ham and mashed potatoes. Along with a side of green beans next to his wife. We served ourselves. I took a little bit of it all and it was delicious. The ham was mouthwatering. Whoever cooked this could be a chef at a really nice restaurant. I assumed his wife, but it was never good to make assumptions. "This is wonderful." I said graciously. His wife smiled at me. "Thanks. I'm glad it was to your liking. My children helped a little too." They both pouted. "We helped a lot." They said in unison. It was adorable. I wondered what it was like to have kids. Right now isn't the time to be thinking of that.

I have to focus on the start of my career. I let the thought vanish out of my mind. Thomas pulled the bag up on the table. "Xavier got you guys something for your birthdays!" Their eyes lit up with excitement. "Thank you sir." They were so polite. I wish I would not being taking the credit for this. I wanted to do this and seeing their happy faces made it all worth it. He handed the doll and the little hairbrush to his daughter. "It's sparkly." She grinned gleefully. The boy took the rest of the items out of the bag. "Cool! I'm going to use this right now." He ran into the tiny living room.

There was no need to apologize. "It's completely fine." I assured them. They were wonderful parents. I could just tell how much they loved their children. I helped do the dishes even though they protested the idea. It was a wonderful evening. I said my goodbyes and left.